Granit Xhaka has detailed the sick threats made to his wife and daughter following the row over the Arsenal captain's substitution against Crystal Palace .
The Swiss midfielder was roundly booed by home fans at the Emirates Stadium when he was replaced by Bukayo Saka shortly after the hour mark of last Sunday's 2-2 draw.
Xhaka appeared to mouth "f*** off" to the supporters as he made his way off the pitch, with fans seemingly angry that he didn't leave the field quickly enough.
Gunners boss Unai Emery has come under pressure to strip the 27-year-old of the club captaincy, a role he only took up this season, but in a strongly-worded statement put out on Arsenal's Twitter account, Xhaka defended his loyalty to the club.
"After taking some time to reflect on what happened on Sunday afternoon, I would like to give you an explanation rather than just a quick response.
"The scenes that took place around my substitution have moved me deeply. I love this club and always give 100% on and off the pitch.
"My feeling of not being understood by fans, and repeated abusive comments at matches and in social media over the last weeks and months have me deeply.
"People have said things like 'We will break your legs', 'Kill your wife' and 'Wish that your daughter gets cancer'.
"That has stirred me up and I reached boiling point when I felt the rejection in the stadium on Sunday.
"In this situation, I let myself be carried away and reacted in a way that disrespected the group of fans that support our club, our team and myself with positive energy.
"That has not been my intention and I'm sorry if that's what people thought.
"My wish is that we get back to a place of mutual respect, remembering why we fell in love with this game in the first place.
"Let's move forward positively together. Granit."
